In the Name of the Queen
by Sirtoshi
Summary: Ten years after her first steps into Beacon, Weiss Schnee reigns as the self-proclaimed High Queen of Remnant, with Team RWBY at her side. Now, with the Rebellion's counteroffensive in full force across Remnant, Captain Jaune Arc finds himself leading a harrowing crusade into the mysterious Queen's land, the hope of the world carried by his brave crew.
1. A Dance of Red and White

**Originally Published: 24 March 2014**

Author's Note:  
Hello all. I'm usually a short story type of guy, so this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. Let's hope all goes well, lest I chicken out due to the pressure. It's been known to happen.

Edit: a friendly review made me realize that I should put a little note here: some of the characters in this story will definitely be OOC, at least compared to as they are depicted in the show. I wanted a little bit freedom when writing them, especially since this is sort of a "future AU" sort of deal, as they call it. Plus, a lot can happen in ten years. I think.

* * *

Chapter 1: A Dance of Red and White

The sickening screech of metal piercing metal resonated through the frigid air as Captain Jaune Arc thrust his sword through yet another robotic soldier of the Royal Army. The steel limbs twitched and sparked before the droid collapsed onto the snow-covered ground next to countless other lifeless machines. The Captain breathed heavily, watching the large puffs of fog drift from his mouth. Dispatching waves of droids was both exciting and exhausting work. Jaune swiftly drew his blade out from the scrap metal, letting it ring and glisten in the midday light. The twenty-seven year old blond man wore a dark grey soldier's coat and light battle armor made of steel. Satisfied with his work, he turned around, sweeping his gaze across the rest of the frozen battlefield. His warriors, the crew of the proud rebel ship _The Paragon_, had slowly gained the upper hand against the robotic hordes that stood before them. Jaune was a firm believer in the concept of quality over quantity. While the royal drones were definitely far more numerous, they could never hope to match the prowess and intuition of a seasoned Human (or Faunus) soldier on the battlefield.

Jaune was soon dragged away from his thoughts of admiration by the distant echoes of firearms. Those weapons sounded oddly familiar to him, and very different from those of the droids. Further listening brought the realization that the culprit was approaching, and at a very rapid pace. Surrendering to his combined feelings of curiosity and trepidation, Jaune turned to face the direction of the noise. In an instant, he understood with crystal clarity the danger that was nearly upon him.

The Captain froze in place, doomed to watch the approaching menace. A golden-haired woman wearing a devious smirk rocketed through the air, riding toward him on a trail of fire that instantly burned any unfortunate snowflakes in her vicinity. Jaune made an attempt to bring his shield and Aura up, but his reaction was far too slow. The woman's fist, clad in its signature golden gauntlet, collided with the Captain's armored chest plate, ripping a fissure in its steel surface. She cackled and fired her weapon, shattering Jaune's chest plate completely and sending him careening into a rocky hill nearby. Both his sword and his shield fell into the snow several meters away.

Captain Arc had spared himself from serious injury by skillful use of his powerful Aura at the last second. The impact with the cold rock, however, had still managed to knock him into a daze. In the few seconds he took to regain his focus, the blond woman had already closed the distance between them. The imposing figure of General Yang Xiao Long, the Human commander of the Royal Army, loomed over him as he lay in the snow. The woman wore a long brown military coat, a matching officer's cap, and a short orange scarf. Black pants and combat boots covered her lower half. She wore no armor, save for the twin golden gauntlets (Ember Celica, Jaune recalled) that graced her forearms. Contrary to her common outfits from back in her teen years, the only skin showing on the woman now was her radiant, smiling face. "You never call, you never write, and now you think you can just show up at my door?" she teased with a grin.

Jaune allowed himself a small laugh. He had not seen Yang for five years, yet she seemed to have barely changed at all, other than her choice of attire. His brief moment of nostalgia was shattered when Yang brought her knee down onto his abdomen, pinning his core to the cold ground. "Good to…see you too…" he managed after a few coughs and grunts of pain.

The girl shook her head, her face still wearing the same expression. "Oh Johnny. Pleasant conversations between us won't fly anymore. I have my orders, you've got yours. Got it? Good! Me first!" Yang winked playfully, raising her right fist while holding Jaune down with her left.

"Wait, wait," Jaune exclaimed, "c-can't we talk this out?! Like gentlemen?!" He eyed the woman's weapon, hanging in the air like the head of a Taijitu ready to strike.

"Sorry buddy, I'm anything but," she said. Jaune saw her weapon start to drop, the signal of his impending doom. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, waiting for the end. How deplorable, to fight his way all the way up here only for his life to meet a crushing finish at the hands of a woman he used to call a friend. A surprised gasp and a noticeable lack of shattering bones, however, told him that judgment day had been postponed. The Captain's eyes shot open to investigate. The woman's smile was gone, replaced by a mixed expression of surprise and frustration. Her armored fist seemed trapped by the air, surrounded by a black aura. With that, Jaune knew it was his turn to grin. The missus was here.

The aura of black shifted, and Yang was wrenched away, pulled into a backflip by the unnatural movement of her very own weapon. Free of the woman who had just fallen unceremoniously into the snow, Jaune looked to his savior standing to his left. Commander Pyrrha Arc strode up to the two combatants, her red and gold rifle trained on Yang's head. Jaune's wife was clad in a winter variant of her classic gold armor, which included, among other warm modifications, a black Beowolf fur cloak that gave her the appearance of a medieval traveler. "See? I leave you alone for five minutes, and there's already some whore trying to jump on you," Pyrrha remarked, her joking tone betrayed by the venomous glare that she shot at the blond woman.

"Rude," commented Yang as she sprung to her feet.

"Won't happen again, dear, just an old academy fling," said Jaune with a laugh. He had to be amused by the situation. Despite the obvious hostilities that he and his wife held with the enemy general, the trio still somehow managed to exchange banter like they did in the academy days. The Captain clambered to a standing position before retrieving his fallen weapons.

Yang's face seemed to brighten after a few moments. She looked at Pyrrha, then back at Jaune before breaking into a slow laugh. "Oh, ho ho ho. That's it, isn't it? You two got hitched! And you didn't even invite me to the wedding!" The blond woman reloaded her weapons, the hot cylinders of spent ammo casings melting through the snow as they fell. She brought her gauntlets up, pointing one fist at each of the two rebels in front of her. "So how long's it been? Am I going to be robbing some poor kid of her mommy and daddy if I pull these triggers? Or is this winter wonderland your weird-ass idea of a romantic honeymoon?"

Unsure whether or not to humor the enemy brawler with a response, Jaune looked at his wife. Pyrrha still had her rifle pointed at its target. He was about to comment on a course of action, but the words were caught in his throat as his gazed locked onto something that hadn't been there moments before. On the summit of a distant hill, across an expanse of snow and rock, Jaune could barely make out a solitary human figure, its dark red cloak billowing in the winter breeze…

His eyes widened with fear as he shouted to his partner. "Pyrrha! Run!" Jaune immediately realized the fault in his warning, for any attempt to flee would have been pointless.

Hearing the desperation in his voice, Pyrrha turned toward the direction of Jaune's gaze. Too late. The lonely red figure had disappeared from the now vacant hilltop. Seconds later, the frigid air near the trio exploded in a flurry of rose petals. The accompanying gale knocked Jaune back to ground, though he did well to keep his weapons firmly in his possession. Recovering from his fall, Jaune sat up and assessed the situation, only to have panic return to his heart instantly. Standing a few meters in front of Pyrrha was the woman known as Ruby Rose, the infamous Red Terror herself.

As a woman of twenty-five years, Ruby had matured beautifully since her school days. Her dark crimson hair had been allowed to grow to her shoulders. She stood taller and with a confident grace, no longer radiating the image of an innocent little girl. Her attire, however, bore a sense of familiarity. She wore an outfit similar in style to her clothes from her teen years, with a more womanly flare of course, and lacked the combat skirt, which had been replaced by long black pants whose ends were tucked into her tall red and black boots. Also, to Jaune's silent admiration, Ruby still wielded the same massive sniper-scythe that she had lovingly named Crescent Rose all those years ago. He was also well aware that her prized weapon, originally forged and crafted to combat the dark creatures of Grimm, had become stained with the blood of both Humans and Faunus. A fact that, when combined with the mischievous smile that the woman often displayed nowadays, placed Jaune somewhere between unnerved and terrified whenever the Red Terror appeared.

"Going somewhere?" asked Ruby, her sweet voice a slow wind that drew out every sound in the question. She cocked her head playfully to one side as she poised her scythe for a horizontal swing. Anticipating the strike, Pyrrha leapt backwards into the sky, barely clearing the massive blade by several centimeters. Her jump landed her close to her husband, who, along with Yang, had yet to throw another blow after the younger woman's arrival. Pyrrha took aim with her rifle and loosed a hail of bullets upon her assailant. The red-cloaked woman giggled as she torqued her scythe into a rapid spin, deflecting every one of Pyrrha's attacks. Accepting the futility of her assault, the armored woman ceased her barrage, transforming her rifle to its sword form. Pyrrha raised her circular shield and tightened her grip on her sword before launching herself toward Ruby.

Meanwhile, Jaune Arc, having returned to his feet, was watching the showdown unfold, engrossed by the clash of two immensely skilled women. "Stop staring at my sister!" he heard Yang shout from his right. Instinctively, Jaune dove forward into a roll a split second before Yang's armored fist would have collided with his skull.

"Stare? I'm married, you idiot!" Jaune shouted back as he regained his footing. He stood sideways in a defensive stance, raising his shield toward Yang for protection from her guns while keeping his sword at his side. The man knew that attacking her directly was suicide. In a contest of strength and speed, Yang would easily take her victory. This forced the Captain to elect a different strategy.

"Psh, that makes it more distasteful!" Yang yelled, the smile on her face indicating that her accusations were mere banter. Unable to attack Jaune at range through his defense, the golden-haired General rushed forward, charging like a flaming bull straight toward the Captain.

Jaune dug his feet into the snow. This was his chance. The man made a show of raising his sword, channeling his Aura into the blade to imbue it with a white glow. He leaned forward, as if he meant to meet the brawler's advance halfway. Yang was closing in fast, her fiery dash melting a wide trail through the snow cover. Her entire body was enveloped in the flame of her semblance, and her eyes glowed with a devilish red. Jaune held his sword high. The timing for his next move would need to be precise. Finally, when Yang's speed brought her within two meters of her target, Jaune ducked, jabbing his sword deep into the ground directly in front of the approaching beast. The Captain released the large amount of Aura that he had gathered into his weapon. The result was a small shockwave, emanating from the snowy ground, that was just large enough to propel Yang into the air, a moderately surprised expression gracing her face. As the brawler sailed over him, Jaune released his sword and slammed his shield forcefully into her abdomen, using the momentum she already carried to throw her behind him. He heard the woman curse as she collided with the ground, her semblance flaring out in one final burst of flame before subsiding. Without pause, Jaune grasped the hilt of his grounded blade, charging it again with the energy of his Aura. In the same motion he used to pull it from the ground, the Captain turned toward Yang and swung his glowing weapon in a wide arc, unleashing a crescent of white energy into the cold air. The projectile hissed as it rocketed toward the fallen woman.

The brawler shook her head as she lay on the ground, attempting to regain her focus. After a few moments, she sat up and looked in Jaune's direction, her eyes locking on the streak of Aura energy on its rapid approach. "Well…that's new…" she managed to utter before the shining attack struck its mark.

The impact threw clouds of smoke and snow into the wintery air, a low rumble of the blast echoing through the hills. Jaune watched the spectacle carefully, expecting to see the enemy general roar out in retaliation. Fortunately for him, his predictions carried no truth. As he observed, he saw Yang's figure, battered and seemingly unconscious, swiftly exit the far side of the cloud, her airborne trajectory sending the woman behind a snowy hill and out of view. Allowing no time for celebration, Jaune turned his attention toward the remaining two combatants. What he saw left him genuinely impressed. And worried.

With the way she fought in battle, there was no surprise how the Red Terror had earned her nickname. Ruby never seemed to stay in the same spot for more than a few seconds. She swung her monstrous weapon, disappeared, reappeared somewhere else, fired a round of her rifle, and disappeared again. The woman continued her ballet, her orchestra of phantom agility, disappearing and reappearing in every possible direction, throughout the encounter. The arcs of her scythe were quick and aimed to kill. The attacks of her rifle were maddeningly precise and would have ended a normal soldier long ago.

Of course, Pyrrha Arc was no mere normal soldier. As impressive as Ruby's ghostly combat style was, Jaune could plainly see that his wife was capable of keeping up with her speed. The warrior woman, moving her sword and her shield in perfect harmony, stepped and spun with the refined footwork of a ballroom dancer. She deflected every swing and dodged every bullet, tiny orange sparks shooting off of her weapons as metal met metal. Her eyes remained locked on the Red Terror, anticipating the next strike whenever her enemy vanished. Jaune was certain that, were it not for the physical constraints of a human body, the two women would have remained locked in their harrowing battle for an eternity. As such, he needed to ensure that it met a swift end.

Perhaps he could use the same attack that he had employed against Yang? No, no. Ruby was far too fast, and there was the unacceptable risk of hitting Pyrrha. Rushing in with his weapons drawn was out of the question; he'd be torn to bloody shreds in an instant. Jaune stood there, helpless, watching the fight and continuing to sift through the scenarios in his head. Finally, he settled on an escape strategy. It wasn't ideal, and it was rather risky. And to be quite honest, he wasn't sure exactly what he'd do afterward. But it would at least bring an end to the virtual stalemate that raged in front of him before Ruby had a chance to break Pyrrha's defense.

Jaune stored his shield in its sheathe form and once again channeled as much Aura as he dared into his sword. He took a runner's stance, preparing for a sprint. Slowing his breathing to a calm and steady pace, Jaune trained his eyes on the fight. The timing for this had to be even more precise than that of his previous gambit. Banishing all thoughts of failure from his mind, the Captain took off in a dash. He tuned out everything unnecessary. The howl of the rushing wind went quiet. The sting of cold air against his face grew numb. His breath maintained its pace as he concentrated solely on the two combatants ahead. Jaune was closing in; he'd have to act soon. He watched Ruby's scythe, and all of the action seemed to slow down for his perception. The massive blade drew closer and closer to Pyrrha's shield, until finally the two pieces of shaped metal clashed.

"Now!" yelled Jaune aloud. He swung his charged blade, casting out another crescent of energy. This time, he shot it toward the ground directly adjacent to Pyrrha. The ensuing blast threw up a large cloud of snow and steam, the ice that had been directly hit evaporating instantly. As he neared his wife, Jaune felt the rush of wind that signaled Ruby's next disappearance. Without hesitation, he sheathed his sword and jumped, catching the airborne Pyrrha in his outstretched arms as he continued his charge through the cloud.

"Jaune?!" she yelled, her voice laden with surprise.

"I had to step in, or you would have been dancing there forever," Jaune explained

Pyrrha stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "I suppose you're right. Thanks." She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

A troubling thought from earlier had resurfaced, causing Jaune's heart rate to accelerate. Where would they go now? The Red Terror was far too fast let them escape. His musing was interrupted as he landed from his heroic rescue. The extra weight of the person he carried, however, caused his stance to falter, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

"Dammit!" Jaune yelled. He jumped up, dragging Pyrrha to her feet. The warrior girl's hands briefly flashed black as she summoned her weapons back to her grip. Jaune drew his sword and shield, standing back to back with his wife.

"Careful, she could be anywhere," warned Pyrrha.

"Very comforting," remarked Jaune. The two of them waited, holding their breaths, listening and searching for any indication of the Red Terror's approach. But as the seconds became minutes, Ruby's absence persisted. "Maybe she's really gone," Jaune said with a hopeful intonation in his voice.

"Would she leave? Just like that?" asked Pyrrha.

"Maybe my heroic charge scared her away," Jaune said, laughing.

"Sure, you just keep thinking that," responded Pyrrha with a smile.

"Really though. She would have shown up by now. I'm pretty sure she-"

Jaune was cut off by the crack of a pistol nearby, followed by a howl akin to a small firework. Both of the rebels turned toward the sound. Yang, breathing heavily, stood with an unsteady posture on a snowy hill, her clothes partially torn and burned by her fight with Jaune. Her right hand grasped the culprit: a large flare gun, still smoking from its recent discharge. Jaune's eyes followed the smoke trail into the sky and witnessed the large explosion of the red flare and its echoing boom. A retreat signal.

"Congrats, Johnny…" Yang said between breaths, "your band of…freedom fighters…get to live another day…" The General suddenly stopped, a faint hint of surprise in her gaze.

Jaune, confused by her expression, spoke to his wife. "They're leaving, Pyrrha. We'd better do the same." He heard no response. "Pyrrha?" Jaune turned, and he felt his heart stop.

His wife stared at him with a look of quiet desperation, a small stream of blood trickling from her mouth. A huge gash had appeared across her stomach, blood slowly beginning to flow from the wound.

A sweet female voice chimed in from the side. "C'mon, Pyrrha, your man's talking to you! How rude of you not to answer!" Jaune turned furiously to face Ruby, who was standing several meters away, her scythe dripping with fresh blood. The Red Terror spoke again, "See, look at that! Now you've made him angry! Not very romantic at all!" The woman wagged her finger toward the couple, her mouth still curled in a smile.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" Jaune growled. He caught Pyrrha before she collapsed, the color draining from her face.

"Wow, you're BOTH so rude! No wonder you made such a good couple!" After a polite bow, Ruby dashed to Yang's side. Grabbing her sister's wounded form, Ruby finally decided to obey the retreat order and disappeared, taking Yang along and leaving behind a cloud of petals to fly on the wind.

Left alone, Jaune cradle Pyrrha's head in his arm. "Pyrrha, look at me. Look at me! Stay awake, okay?"

"Jaune…" she said timidly. "I'm sorry, Jaune. I wasn't…careful…"

"Stop it! You think I'm just going to let the woman I love die here, in some gods-forsaken frozen wasteland?!"

"I'm so tired…please…can we just…stay like this…for a little while…" Pyrrha said, tears filling her eyes.

The Captain's heart shattered at the sight of his wife's sorrowful expression. He felt every one of her trembling breaths as if they were his own. Was he just supposed to accept this? His wife lying here with her life dripping away second by second in cold agony? _Absurd!_ If her death here was the will of fate's cruel hand, then he would hold his blade to fate's throat and demand that it change its course! With his resolve driven both by love and defiance, Jaune set his wife gingerly down onto the snow.

"…I'm…cold…" she began. Her breathing had become even more labored and weak, and the emerald color of her eyes was barely visible.

"Shhhh," he said gently. "You are NOT going to die in this hell." Holding up his hands, Jaune called forth every ounce of Aura he could muster. He'd never tried this before, as he had yet to progress to such a proficient level in his studies of Aura healing techniques. But he had a massive amount of energy and had honed his skills of control well over the past ten years. Most important, however, was that this was the only way Pyrrha could live to see tomorrow's dawn. Taking one final breath to calm his nerves, Jaune lowered his hands onto the wound and pushed his Aura to its maximum.

Pyrrha winced, the energy spreading into her gash like wildfire. "I'm sorry! Just stay with me!" shouted Jaune. The entire area was illuminated by the angelic light of Jaune's attempt to save his beloved one. For the first few seconds, his hopes seemed crushed. The wound was still leaking heavily, and Pyrrha looked even weaker than before. Gradually, however, fate seemed to concede to Jaune's unwavering will. The flow of blood slowed to a trickle a few seconds before ceasing completely. Moments later, the gash on her stomach began to close, as if time itself had reversed the course of its endless march.

Soon, Jaune lowered his hands, the light disappearing as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked down at his wife. What had been a deadly gash was now reduced to a red scar across her abdomen. Pyrrha herself was unconscious. Jaune drew her close to him once again, laying her head to sleep peacefully on his arm. Her breathing had returned to a normal rate, as had her heartbeat. From an outside observer, it would have appeared that she had simply dozed off in her lover's embrace.

Footsteps sounded from around a nearby hill. "Captain! Captain!" called a female voice. Jaune turned to see the search team arrive, led by a brown-haired rabbit Faunus woman who gasped as she rounded the bend. "Oh my gods! Is the commander okay?!"

Jaune smiled warmly. "Hello Velvet. She'll live, I think. I've managed to heal her wounds, but she's lost a lot of blood. Please take her to the medical bay as quickly as possible!"

"Yes sir!" shouted Velvet. Four of the other party members produced a stretcher and proceeded to carry Pyrrha back to _The Paragon_. The Faunus turned back to her captain. "And…what about you, sir? How are you doing?"

Jaune sighed. "I'm fine, all things considered. And we ended up winning the battle, which puts us that much closer to completing our mission. Also, for the last time, just call me 'Jaune' already! We've been friends for ten years; it's weird when you get all 'command structure formality' on me. Just because I have a ship now doesn't mean I'm some kind of big shot…does it?"

Velvet laughed. "Fine,_ Jaune_," she conceded, emphasizing his name. "But I might throw in a 'Captain Arc' from time to time. It has a nice ring to it."

The two rebels smiled, walking off to regroup with the rest of their comrades.

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**Author's Note:  
**So begins our harrowing tale of the future of the RWBY universe. I'd appreciate a review, a follow, all that good stuff. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update (depends how busy I am in the world of the real). Anyway, thanks for reading!


	2. Ladies of the Palace

**Originally published: 2 April 2014**

**Author's Note:**

Before we continue, I'm going to take moment to be honest: last week I went back and edited a few minor details in Chapter 1. Don't worry, it's nothing major. Why, you ask? Well, after finishing and posting Chapter 1, I took a look over the outline I have for the overall story and decided that I wanted something a little different. This resulted in me revamping the storyline WHILE trying to stay true to what I had already posted. Still, some of the small details would have caused discontinuity and as such I decided to change them. Particularly the first paragraph and the part directly before Pyrrha's injury. Don't worry, all the big stuff is still there. We still have the ice fight. We still have the heroic captain, the Red Terror, the blond beast, and the unconscious warrior woman. And we still have their snazzy future outfits. Amongst other things.

Anyway, I hope you all had your fill of action and violence last chapter. Because this one doesn't have much of that.

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Chapter 2: Ladies of the Palace

"Thanks, Doc. Always a pleasure," Yang mumbled as she left the infirmary.

"We are pleased to be of service," replied the tall, multi-armed medical drone. Only four of its kind existed in the palace, appropriate for the four beds that sat within the small infirmary. For a normal place, such a minimally stocked medical facility would be ample reason for protest. Of course, the royal palace was not a normal facility, and the infirmary's accommodations were perfectly sufficient for a fortress that housed only four organic residents, the rest of the personnel consisting of robots and automatons. And for an inorganic being, the medical droid had certainly done a good job of restoring Yang's health. Her cuts, burns, and bruises had all been mended to faint scars thanks to a special blend of healing Dust created by the Queen herself. As far as injuries went, Yang's body had been repaired to a satisfactory level. The procedure, however, did nothing to lessen the woman's fatigue, and she needed to rest to coax her Aura back into acceptable levels. But relaxation would come soon enough. She needed to speak with the Queen before anything else.

The General sauntered through an empty corridor with nothing but the echoes of her lonely footfalls to keep her company. The various snaking hallways, as with the rest of the palace, were kept at a comfortable, cool temperature that was much warmer than the snowy climate outside the walls. Looking down, Yang ran a hand over her new coat, identical to the one that had been burned by Jaune Arc hours ago. Today had been the first time in years that she had had to throw away an outfit due to extensive battle damage. Not something she particularly enjoyed doing.

The hall through which she walked looked similar to most of the standard corridors throughout the palace. The floors, walls, and ceilings were silver and dark grey. White lights lined the floors and ceilings at various points, with blue lights occasionally appearing on the walls for decorative purposes. The hallway itself was not the traditional rectangular shape when cross-sectioned, but rather an odd, stretched hexagon whose longest sides were at the floor and ceiling. The whole thing often reminded Yang of the spaceships that she'd seen in movies and on TV, only with a more luxurious style. _Who knew the Ice Princess was a sci-fi fan?,_ she remembered thinking to herself at one point.

After a few minutes, she arrived at her destination. Large metal double doors the color of silver loomed in front of her. Walking up to them, the General pressed her hand to a conspicuous glowing blue rectangle on one of the doors. After a beep of confirmation, the doors separated and slid into the walls with a quiet hissing sound. _Again, so sci-fi-like_, Yang thought. Chuckling to herself, she walked into the expansive room that lay beyond.

The throne room was, in her humble opinion, one of the most impressive locations in the palace. The room was excessive in length, width, and height, unusually large for a palace where 95% of its inhabitants were robotic automatons. The floor was a beautiful ensemble of silver and teal, with a large rectangular section that, when needed, could be utilized as an enormous viewing screen. The walls were colored in a similar fashion and lined with tall tapestries emblazoned with the snowflake insignia of the Schnee family. Along the massive walls stood tall, glowing, white columns that could provide ample illumination for the spacious hall. However, at this time, the columns were dark, and the throne room was lit only by large glowing circles of teal on the ground, giving the whole setting a quaint, icy mood. The unusual lighting left the upper half of the gigantic room in shadow, except for the high vaulted ceiling that bore a real-time pattern of stars and various other celestial bodies visible from Remnant. At the center of it all, of course, was the Queen's Throne. The chair was situated on a large circular platform that stood a few meters taller than the surrounding floor, with a short flight of wide stairs leading from the ground to the pedestal. And the throne, a large silver chair with a high back and dimly luminous decoration and ornamentation, was currently occupied.

Yang leaned forward to peer at the room's center. She could see the lower end of royal dress robes at the foot of the throne, but the rest of the chair's occupant was obscured by the several large holographic screens that floated in midair near the throne. The sound of slender fingers lazily trotting across a keyboard accompanied the shifting of the shapes and text displayed on the airborne monitors. Yang smiled her mischievous smile.

In total silence, the blond woman channeled her semblance into her hand, forming a small fireball that levitated above her palm. After an exaggerated wind up, Yang hurled the flaming orb at the throne with all the force she could muster. She watched as it blazed a brilliant arc of orange through the dimly lit room.

Without even looking away from her screens, the woman in the chair raised her free hand. As the fireball reached its destination, she brought the projectile to a complete and sudden stop by catching it effortlessly in her hand with the help of a tiny glyph. The woman curled her fingers around the flames and closed her fist, reducing the burning orb to a wisp of smoke that drifted away into nothing.

One by one, the holographic screens blinked out of existence, until the woman in the chair was in full view. Weiss Schnee, the High Queen of Remnant, sat upon the gleaming throne. She wore the long dress robes of royalty, woven from fabric of white and light blue, along with a medium-length white cape fastened around her shoulders. Her brilliant diamond crown sat at the top of her long platinum hair that flowed down behind her back. Her face wore an almost blank expression of calm and control, her blue eyes nearly half closed as she glared at the blond-haired woman. Finally she spoke, her voice carrying a mixture of elegance and pride. "I hope you are aware that the assassination of a monarch is a severe offense, General Xiao Long."

"Just keepin' you on your toes, princess," Yang teased as she strolled up to the platform.

"Queen," Weiss corrected, crossing one leg over the other and letting her hands rest upon her knee.

"Ugh. 'Queen' this, 'General' that," Yang grumbled. "Can't we lighten up once in a while? I mean, we are friends, right? Embrace the first names!"

Weiss gave a small laugh, though her face showed no hint of amusement. "You're the same as ever, Yang," she sighed.

"Hey, no sense in changing perfection, right?" said Yang with a wink.

"If you were perfect, then _you'd_ be the one on this throne," Weiss remarked. Even with her muted expression, Weiss never lost her fondness for wit.

"Hah. Okay. Right." Yang's eyes briefly scanned the room. "Hey, where's my favorite kitty cat gone off to?"

"She's not present. I sent her with a science team to investigate another anomaly that landed about fifteen kilometers from here. But more importantly, I presume that you are here for your report on today's battle."

Yang cleared her throat and stood up straight. She began to recount the events of the day, from the moment the warriors of _The Paragon_ wandered into view to the perilous fight that erupted between the four former Beacon students. The General continued on for a few minutes before Weiss stopped with a stern wave of her hand.

"Hold on. You were beaten? By Jaune Arc? _The _Jaune Arc, our bumbling fool of a classmate from the academy?"

The blond woman quickly looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Well…yes. But in my defense, he doesn't seem like such a 'bumbling fool' anymore. Something's changed with him. The guy seems more…confident. And clever, as far as his tactics in battle go."

"And thanks to that 'guy,' the Rebels are perilously close to breaching the Stormwall."

Yang nodded. "I guess it's safe to say that I…underestimated the bastard…" Her voice trailed off.

Now that was enough to elicit a small smile from the Queen. "Wow. Humility. A new color for you. Can't exactly say you wear it well, but it is a start."

"Bite me, princess," Yang muttered. "Sorry, 'Queen.' Old habits die hard…even if you've had this job for five years."

"Continue," Weiss commanded.

"Right, right. Oh, did I tell you about Johnny's wife?"

"Is she important?"

"Well yeah, she's pretty relevant, considering that her name is Pyrrha Nikos. Er, Pyrrha Arc, I guess."

The Queen sat still for a few seconds before answering. "An…interesting development, but not entirely unexpected. And not entirely essential information."

Yang's expression of mild excitement from moments before slowly faded, allowing her eyes to stare at the floor and her mouth to curve into a slight frown. "It's gonna be essential soon enough. Anyway, after I came to from Jaune's little magic trick, I figured I'd check how the battle was going. As much as I hate to admit it, we'd pretty much lost. That, coupled with the fact that I wanted to prevent Ruby from getting too carried away, brought me to the decision to signal the retreat." The General paused, allowing herself a long sigh before looking up at Weiss. "But…that wasn't enough to stop her. The Red Terror. She…murdered Pyrrha. Right in front of Jaune. Right there on the bloody fucking snow."

The sudden delivery of hard-hitting news had an evident effect on Weiss, as the Queen's eyes widened, a teal glow glinting off of her icy blue irises. "The Red Terror killed Pyrrha?" she repeated.

"Yeah. That was the last thing I saw before Ruby whisked me away on her semblance. And you can be sure that whatever hatred Johnny can muster is now aimed straight at my sister."

Weiss leaned back in her throne and stared at the starry ceiling. Each kill the Red Terror performed would only worsen Ruby's state. And to be honest, Weiss was not entirely sure what sort of effect the murder of a _friend_ (or at least a former one) would have on the red-cloaked woman. She was worried about Ruby, and she needed to find her immediately. "Where is Ruby now?" she asked Yang.

The blonde shrugged. "That's what I was gonna ask you. After we got back here, Ruby dropped me off at the infirmary. Before I could say anything, she vanished again. Poof." Yang made an exploding gesture with one hand.

Sighing in frustration, the Queen summoned another holographic screen to the air in front of her. She brought up a life-signs map of the palace's interior, which featured blue dots that would indicate any Human or Faunus and red dots that would indicated any Grimm. Currently, the only blips on the display were two blue lights in the throne room. Weiss and Yang. "She's not in the palace," the Queen stated. She pondered for a bit before a realization meandered into her mind. "If she's out there, and she's…emotionally troubled…then there's one place I'm sure she'd go."

The Queen rose to her feet, straightening out her robes as she stood. "I'll find Ruby and talk to her. You, my friend, are in dire need of rest. And a long, hot shower, it seems. So go." She waved Yang off with one hand.

"But of course, your majesty," Yang said with a mocking bow and a posh accent. She returned to her upright posture and watched the Queen make her exit. Not by simply walking, of course. That wouldn't be impressive at all. The silver-haired woman waved a hand toward her own feet, generating a large glyph on the ground directly under her. Then, with a brief yet brilliant nova of light, both the Queen and her glyph had disappeared, leaving behind only a large, soundless room.

Yang often joked and prodded at Weiss, enjoying her privileges as a personal friend of the Queen's. However, the General, even if she never expressed it, had a rather high opinion of her old comrade. The Weiss of today was different from the girl that she had met ten years ago at Beacon. The woman had always been cold and a tad sassy, but her fiery, virulent ("bitchy" was a more casual term that Yang preferred) demeanor from the academy days had been replaced overtime by a calm, yet dignified, arrogance. She even seemed bored at times, as if quelling a rebellion while subduing the people of an entire world was as commonplace as her morning tea. Even through all of the emotional and mental turmoil of the past six years, Weiss could still carry herself with even more pride and self-confidence than she had as a student. For this, Yang was impressed. But she couldn't ignore the feeling that the past six years _must _have been hard on the Queen in some ways. If that was true, however, Weiss was an unrivaled master at concealing it. "Please, take care of my sister," she muttered before starting the walk to her quarters.

* * *

On a tall mountain near the Queen's Palace, a soft breeze blew through the night, barely stirring the cold arctic air. The cloudless dark blue and black sky offered a daunting view of the stars and the gentle light of a full moon. Looking from the mountainside, the palace was in clear view in all of its silver glory amidst a vast, nearly flat expanse of snow.

Between two rocks near the summit, on a mountainside clearing large enough for a person to stand comfortably, a large glyph flashed into existence on the ground. With a quick burst of white light that faded just as swiftly, Queen Weiss appeared, her royal robes and cape swaying slowly in the wind. The Queen began her trek up the remainder of the mountain without a word. Near the top, she caught site of the white glow of a Dust lantern dancing on several dark rocks. As she expected, she was not alone on this nighttime excursion.

The Queen reached the summit's clearing, where she found her friend Ruby Rose on her knees near a small white stone slab and her Dust lantern. Weiss was well aware of this monument: it was a gravestone to commemorate Summer Rose, Ruby's late mother. Whenever the red woman's heart was pained, Weiss noticed that she could often find Ruby visiting this lonely site. The poor girl. The Queen was no stranger to the loss of a parent, and the void felt when she longed for a comfortable filial presence was something she would always bury before it distracted her too much. She knew, however, that Ruby lacked such emotional control, and that the red-haired woman needed her mother's grave for some amount of solace.

As she approached her comrade, another slab came into view. Upon closer inspection, the small grave had a completely different name etched into its surface: Pyrrha Arc. At that point it was obvious. The death of Pyrrha really did leave its mark on Ruby's psyche.

The sitting woman turned to face Weiss. Her eyes were red from tears, and her cheeks were still damp. "I figured it was time we started a royal graveyard," she said, a small strained smile attempting to surface on her face, only to be beaten back to a trembling mouth.

Weiss sat down next to her on the snowy ground. "Ruby…" she began.

"I killed her, Weiss. She was my…friend, and now…her blood is on my hands…"

Weiss interjected. "No Ruby, _she_ killed her. The Red Terror."

Ruby shook her head, her voice becoming softer. "We can't think like that anymore, Weiss. It's just an excuse. I am the Red Terror, and she is me. To say otherwise would just be ignorant. It's just…" The cloaked girl's eyes started to water again. "I…couldn't control it. That bloodlust, that thirst for vengeful destruction. It always surfaces when I get lost in the heat of battle, especially if I'm trying to protect Yang. Once the fight gets to me, I'm gone. The Red Terror holds the scythe. And I was a damn fool for thinking I could control it. Now…now I've ripped the life from a friend as if she were just some Grimm run amok. How the hell do I live with that?!"

"Ruby…I regret Pyrrha's death as well. She was a respectable person, and it's a shame that she ended up fighting for the Rebels. But you've killed before. Why the sudden apprehension?"

"I've always been apprehensive about it, Weiss!" The tears were streaming faster. "But I've always done it anyway, for the good of Remnant, and for you. But this…this! This is Pyrrha we're talking about! How could I have looked her in the eyes and just torn her from this world?! And I laughed! And I teased! All with Jaune, her _husband_, as a witness! It's…disgusting!" Ruby seemed to sink down, quietly sobbing as Weiss sat facing her. Suddenly, with a weakened cry, the smaller woman thrust her arms around her Queen, burying her face into the royal woman's shoulder.

Weiss could feel her robes becoming damp where Ruby's face lied. After a few moments of consideration, she slowly returned the embrace. After all, Ruby was the closest thing Weiss had to a best friend. As she gently stroked the younger woman's hair, the Queen thought back upon the past several years. Who had been there for Weiss when the stresses of being one of the most hated people in the world had gotten to her? Ruby. Who had been there when she had almost lost her life in Vale during the Four Kingdom War? Ruby. Who was the one who tried to make her smile even during the most difficult days? Ruby. Yes, Ruby was immensely important, an irreplaceable companion. She had helped Weiss so many times in the past, and now Weiss needed to return the favor.

With a resolute grip, the Queen grabbed Ruby's shoulders and held her at arm's length. She stared into the scythe wielder's glassy eyes and brushed the poor woman's tears away with her right hand. Weiss then held that same hand open and whipped it swiftly across Ruby's pitiful face, a loud crack piercing the peaceful air.

The red girl cried out, either from pain, surprise, or both, as she reeled sideways and rubbed her cheek. "Ah, Weiss! What the hell was that for?!"

Weiss was still holding Ruby's shoulder, and her grip only grew tighter. "For a much needed sign that you need to regain control! Ruby, let me tell you something about people. About you. There is nobody in the universe that is pure good or pure evil. Every soul is a balance of light and dark, angel and demon. For some people, one side can be more prominent. But you can be assured that the other side is still there, waiting to be unleashed when the world deems it appropriate. Look at Yang, your sister. She's a fun-loving, laid back, and – dare I say it – _potentially_ charming woman. Throw her into a situation that she doesn't like, however, and you're left trying to battle a wildfire fueled by a supernova. And Blake. Our loveable, level-headed Faunus friend…who's blade can mercilessly silence every soul in an entire room without being seen once. And I know you're well aware of what I can do when the stakes are high enough.

"And those two, like many others, have seen years balancing their light and their dark. But you. You spent most of your life as a sweet, innocent girl who wanted nothing other than to be a protector of life. Your angel was thriving for years, while your demon suffocated in your endless avalanche of heroism. War, of course, has a tendency to call forth the darkness in anyone caught within its turmoil. So when your darkest side, so lovingly named 'The Red Terror' by those who have witnessed it, was finally awakened, it manifested as a maniacal, ruthless force of destruction that you were entirely unprepared to handle."

Ruby kept her eyes on Weiss. The tears had halted their advance, but her voice was still pained. "What, then? Is that what you meant to tell me? That I'm too weak?"

"No. On the contrary, you have the strength to deal with this obstacle. You simply lack direction."

"Enlighten me, then…" The cloaked woman was still watching her Queen expectantly.

"Ruby, all this time, how have you gone about trying to manage the Red Terror?"

Ruby had a look of slight shock. "What? By trying to keep her subdued, of course! By trying to keep her buried!"

"And there lies your problem. You said so yourself, Ruby. She is you, and you are her. So acknowledge that. Let her in. Embrace her."

"Wha…are you insane?! Embrace her?! She's a heartless murderer! You're telling me to just let her take control?!"

Weiss shook her head. "Again, your way of thinking is entirely incorrect. Once you accept it, you accept that it is a part of you. You _own_ it. And when you own it, you can _control_ it. Weave it into your own being, and learn to use it only when it suits your needs."

Ruby looked down, confusion in her eyes. "No…would that really work? It can't be that simple, right?"

"I never said that it would be simple. But you'd be surprised at what you can accomplish with a shifted perspective. Or you could just do what I've been offering for a long time: just stand down. For good. Forget about fighting, forget about the war. I'll keep you safe in the palace until we've accomplished our goals."

At that, Ruby shot up to her feet. "No, Weiss! I told you years ago, and I'll remind you now: I'm not just going to watch as you take on the world! You're my best friend, and I will be by your side, even if it means we both end up lying dead on some body-ridden battlefield. You and Yang and Blake…you're all I have left…"

"Fine. Then promise me you will heed my suggestions regarding your…demon."

"…alright. Alright. I'll do it. But I…can't make any guarantees that it will work."

Weiss slowly rose, straightening her damp robes and dusting off any remaining snow. "I suppose that will have to suffice. Now, we must return to the palace. I'm sure you're tired after today's events."

Ruby nodded before her mouth slowly curved into a small smile. Satisfied, Weiss held a welcoming hand out to her friend. The red-cloaked woman accepted the gesture, grasping her hand tightly as a large glyph appeared under both of them.

With a flash of light, both women vanished, leaving a lonely Dust lamp sitting next to two solemn gravestones.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

If you managed to stick with this so far, then I sincerely thank you. Again, I'm sorry that I won't have a routine upload schedule, since this writing stuff is just what I sometimes do in my free time. Hopefully I'll actually be able to finish this story, at least before RWBY Volume 2 comes out and totally debunks half of the things I've set up here.

Anyway, these first two chapters have been an "in the moment" kind of thing to introduce our two main characters. I promise I'll delve more into the backstory in the following installments.


	3. Calm Before the Stormwall

**Originally posted: 7 April 2014**

* * *

Chapter 3: Calm Before the Stormwall

_The Paragon_, a Stratus-class battlecruiser airship under the command of Captain Jaune Arc. Originally built by the Vale Navy just prior to the Four Kingdom War, _The Paragon_ had been flying through battlefield airspace long before Jaune was given command. Of course, to say that it was the same ship that it had been all those years ago would be incorrect. Every part of _The Paragon_ had been replaced or upgraded at least once over time, changing factions from the Vale Navy to the Remnant Rebellion at some point.

Physically, _The Paragon _bore a close resemblance to the large civilian airships that had transported students to and from Beacon Academy. The most obvious difference, of course, was that Stratus-class cruisers were at least seven times larger than those transport ships, depending on their modifications. The second most obvious difference being that _The Paragon _was armed to the teeth, with various cannons and turrets gracing its red-painted armored hull. The insignia of the Rebellion, a broadsword with its blade pointed down surrounded by four feathered wings, was displayed on the ship's sides, along with the ship's name in large letters.

On the cold, peaceful morning after _The Paragon_'s most recent victory against the royal forces, the good ship sat in the massive repair bay of Frostwind Station, the Rebellion's closest outpost to the Stormwall. For the past three weeks, _The Paragon_ and its crew had been patrolling through this cold region, systematically engaging every royal battle group they found. Although victory had found them time and time again, their efforts were not without cost. Injuries and casualties were inevitable, along with notable damage to the ship itself. Still, as of the previous day's battle, the crew had completed their operation. Their ultimate goal had been to clear the area of royal defenses, which would allow a group of rebel airships to penetrate the towering mass known as the Stormwall.

A daunting marvel of magical engineering, the Stormwall sported the appearance of swirling, gray storm clouds that had been shaped into a tall, sheer barrier that loomed over the snowy wasteland. No ship had ever managed to fly over the wall, as the thing literally rose up to meet any vessel that would make an attempt, effectively blocking even high altitude access. The wall continued for kilometers in either direction, eventually forming a large perimeter around the northernmost land territory of the planet. This territory was Queen Weiss's land. True, she did proclaim a royal ownership of all of Remnant, and she had seen that the claim was reinforced by action. However, that was an association political in nature. The vast expanse of land within the Stormwall, on the other hand, was truly the Queen's personal territory, her very own world. And somewhere in that world was the royal palace, where the self-proclaimed ruler of Remnant herself sat upon her shining throne.

Several times during the past year the Rebels had sent unmanned drones through the fog of the Stormwall to scout the mysteries that lay beyond. When the drones had been wireless, remaining linked to the outside world via radio signals, the transmission had unfortunately, though not surprisingly, been cut the moment the drones had flown through the wall. The most ambitious method of surveying after that had been to use a robotic land vehicle connected by a sturdy, physical cable to Frostwind Station. Against their predictions, the cable had remained intact as the slow scouting vehicle had driven through the Stormwall. The probe had journeyed for nearly twenty minutes, sending a visual feed of what it saw back to the Rebels. They had watched as the probe observed the arctic landscape beyond the wall, with its curving hills and distant mountains. At some point, however, the probe had suddenly stopped transmitting. The last image that it had sent was of one of Weiss's heavy spider droids in the distance, the large cannon at its front glowing with blue energy. At that point, the Rebels had known: if they were going to make any progress past the wall, it would have to be with more than just one drone.

* * *

After warring with waves of combat droids for three weeks, most members of _The Paragon_'s crew were taking their stop at Frostwind Station as an opportunity for well-earned rest and recreation. Some chatted with their comrades and enjoyed warm meals in the base's dining hall. Some were fast asleep or basking in the company of their lovers in their quarters aboard _The Paragon _– as long as they could ignore the dull noise of the repairs_._ Some still had their weapons drawn, sparring and honing their fighting skills in the base's training areas.

Only three people, however, remained in the medical bay of_ The Paragon_, as most of the patients had been moved to Frostwind's infirmary. Pyrrha was lying, comatose, in one of the beds, her battle armor replaced with simple patient's robes. Jaune sat next to her bed, lovingly holding her hand as he stared at her peaceful expression. Directly across from him on the other side of the bed sat Doctor Velvet Scarlatina, the ship's chief medical officer. Her expertise and training in both Human and Faunus biology and Aura, along with her skills as a mage earned at Beacon Academy, gave her perfect qualifications to be the head doctor of a warship.

"So you're saying it's my fault?" asked Jaune with a depressed tone.

"What I meant was…well, yes…and no," was Velvet's hesitant response.

Jaune sighed. "Just give it to me straight. What happened?"

"Well…you see…you tried to heal her using your Aura, right…?"

"Yeah. And it worked, didn't it?"

Velvet paused for a few seconds, as if working out what to say. "It…_did_ prevent her from dying, yes. But your method of doing so was…"

"Was what, Velvet?"

"…completely incorrect!" the woman almost yelled.

Jaune jumped slightly at the sudden sternness of her tone. "H-how was it incorrect?!"

The Faunus woman sighed, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll…try to stay calm. Anyway, you seem to be well aware that Aura can have healing abilities, especially for someone as…powerful as you. After all, Aura is the manifestation of a soul…in essence, a manifestation of life force."

"Right, right…" Jaune was nodding as he followed along.

"So you…basically used your life force to heal her…when she couldn't use her own. A valiant gesture…but…costly. You see, Pyrrha's Aura at the time was incredibly diminished. What you were _supposed_ to have done was use your Aura as a catalyst to fuel the restoration of _her_ own Aura. That way, she could use her own soul…her own life force…to replenish her strength and repair her body. That is how…normal Aura healing is supposed to work."

Jaune was suddenly reminded of an incident that had happened ten years ago at Beacon's initiation. After he had sustained a minor injury in Emerald Forest, Pyrrha had used her Aura to "unlock" his own, allowing him to heal his wounds. Had that been something similar to what Velvet was describing?

The rabbit woman, unaware of Jaune's inner thought escapade, continued in her expository tone. "But what you did was to simply use the healing force of your Aura to save her. As a result, her wounds healed – impressively well, I might add – but her Aura was not replenished whatsoever. Her own soul is still incredibly weak. So weak that she can't even sustain consciousness."

Jaune looked down, staring at his wife. "Why can't you do it now, then? The…proper way, I mean."

Velvet shook her head. "That's another problem with your method. The void left by her lack of Aura has been completely filled by the large amount of _your _Aura that you transferred to her. There is simply no room for me to catalyze rapid restoration. Her Aura will replenish slowly overtime, gradually pushing yours out as it does. But I'm sorry. There is no way for me to speed up the process." Her tone seemed unusually harsh.

"Gods damn it!" the blond man shouted, tightening his grip on Pyrrha's hand. "So you were right. It _is _my fault."

Velvet shrank slightly at Jaune's outburst, but she quickly recovered. "Jaune, _stop it_. Please!" Her voice had definitely risen. "I…apologize if I came across as accusatory or hostile. I was just telling you what you did wrong. Why Pyrrha is in this state. Now let me tell you what you did right!"

She had the man's attention. "What I did…right?"

"Yes, Jaune. Don't you see? Would Pyrrha even be lying here at all if you hadn't done what you could to save her? No. We wouldn't be dealing with a comatose woman. We'd be dealing with a dead comrade. But you managed to prevent that! She is _alive_, thanks to you."

Jaune's eyes widened at the revelation. He had been so blinded by the guilt of seeing his wife trapped within her bed-ridden, unconscious form. But the good doctor was correct. All that had mattered to him at the time was saving Pyrrha's life, and in that respect he had succeeded. Still, if only he had done the deed correctly…

"You aren't going to move her to Frostwind Station?" he asked Velvet, shifting his thoughts.

"Well…no. As unusual as it sounds, I'd…feel more comfortable keeping her on _The Paragon_, where I can monitor her progress. Besides, the facilities at the base are…not much better than our own."

Jaune didn't show it to Velvet, but he sighed internally with relief. Even if it was a bit selfish, he wanted Pyrrha with him on his ship. He wanted to be there when she finally awoke from her slumber. The Captain rose from his chair and gave his sleeping wife a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Jaune then turned towards Velvet, his face still sorrowful. "Thanks, doc. I…need to get out, for a little bit." The man wandered out of the medical bay as Velvet watched him from Pyrrha's side.

* * *

Captain Arc stood, alone, on the rooftop of Frostwind Station. He had replaced his broken chest plate, completing the small set of steel light armor that he wore over his dark gray captain's coat. Usually, Jaune would stand on the sky deck of _The Paragon_ for such a lofty view as the one he beheld now. The scenery from the ship, however, currently wasn't much, as it was grounded for repairs in the base's hangar. Resigning to his perch atop the base, Jaune leaned on the railing, staring over a nearby range of hills at the swirling of the upper part of the distant Stormwall. Beyond that wall was the Queen that the entire world had risen up to oppose. And beyond that wall was another person, the dastardly woman responsible for his wife's dismal state.

"Hello Captain," said a level male voice from behind, causing the Captain to turn around. The man who had spoken had long, black hair with a streak of magenta, most of which was tied back in a ponytail. He wore a stately, dark green officer's uniform that fit well to his slender figure. Magenta eyes brought color to his calm, thin, somewhat pale face.

"Oh, hey Ren," Jaune replied, turning back to the railing.

Lieutenant Commander Lie Ren strode up to join his captain. "I just spoke with the doctor when I went to check on Pyrrha in the medical bay. She told me what she had explained to you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine Ren. It's just that…I don't-"

Ren placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, stopping the man midsentence and drawing his attention. "I know what you're going to say, Jaune. Something along the lines, 'this is all my fault,' or, 'I'm not fit to be the captain,' or some nonsense like that."

Jaune almost made to reply, but he decided to say nothing and returned to staring at the snowy vista.

Ren took the opportunity to speak once more. "I can tell that what happened to Pyrrha has you in a rather emotional state. And as your friend, you have my full support. But as your crewmember, I must implore that you cease your dismal tone and raise your spirits."

The Captain shifted his eyes back to Ren. "You're saying I'm…too sad?"

The green-clad man nodded. "I know you miss her, and that you feel guilty. But think about it, Jaune. Velvet has assured us that Pyrrha will recover. And whether or not you'd care to admit it, your reaction to the Red Terror's attack was the only thing that had prevented Pyrrha's premature demise. Therefore, the melancholy demeanor that you've displayed since yesterday needs to end. You are a captain, and you have an entire crew looking up to you. Seeing you mope about will only hinder their morale."

"Huh…an issue of morale, eh?" Jaune sighed and straightened his posture. A captain must set an example for his soldiers. They will not follow a man into battle when all he brings to the field is despair and tears. For the good of his people, it seemed that Jaune would have to stand tall and proud as _The Paragon_ charged toward victory.

Finally, for the first time in a while, the Captain laughed a long, heartfelt laugh, nearly doubling over as he held his side. His reaction seemed excessive, even unwarranted, for a situation that lacked humor, but Jaune felt like he needed it, if only to rekindle his spirits. Eventually, he regained his composure, standing up straight to face his friend. "Thanks, Ren. You're right. Pyrrha's going to be okay eventually, and letting her condition affect my ability to command is definitely not going to help anyone. So I'll try to lighten up, as per your suggestions. Man, who knew I'd be getting pep talks from both you and Velvet today?"

Ren smiled back at him. "I suppose the Captain needs his crew just as much as we need him."

The two men stared out at the Stormwall, its shades of light and dark gray undulating along the massive barrier in the distance. "Besides," Jaune began, "now is as best a time as ever to feel driven. We're almost there. That damn wall is staring us in the face, just _asking _for our allies to punch through it." He jabbed his fist toward the distant gray mass and grinned.

"And it's thanks to our efforts, for clearing a path for them." Ren had a hint of pride in his voice.

Jaune took in a deep breath of cold air as he smiled. He thought back, reminiscing on the progress that the Rebellion had made. "Do you remember how this all started, Ren?"

"How what started, exactly?"

The Captain waved his hand in a swirling motion. "Everything!"

Ren cleared his throat. "Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving-"

"No, no, not _that _far back!" Jaune remarked, cutting Ren off. "I meant _this war_! You totally ruined my pensive, musing moment!"

His friend only chuckled. "Of course, Jaune. How could anyone forget?"

Jaune and Ren sat on that rooftop for an hour, each with a drink in his hand. Ren, as Jaune expected, was holding a steaming cup of tea. Jaune, never sharing his friend's love for the bitter beverage, was sipping from a mug of hot chocolate. The two men had been chatting and talking of various things, such as the war's history or the state of their crew or reminiscence of days long gone, as they enjoyed their period of rest from harrowing, snowbound battle.

Suddenly, an electronic ringing sounded from Jaune's coat pocket, prompting him to reach in and produce his scroll. He pressed the blinking green icon that flashed in the center of the screen. "Captain Arc here, what's happening?"

The polite voice of one of Frostwind's technicians answered. "Sir, please report to the communications room. You have a transmission from Rebel Command."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Command's calling?"

"Yes sir. Admiral Ozpin would like to speak with you. He says that it is important."

* * *

As Jaune strolled into Frostwind Station's communications room, a life-sized holographic image of Admiral Ozpin was waiting for him. "Ah, good morning Captain Arc. I trust you are doing well."

"Oh you know, the usual. Fighting metal men. Trudging through snow. Wife in a coma." Jaune tried to give a small laugh, but his heart clenched briefly at that last bit.

"Ah yes, Commander Arc's condition has been made known to me. I am sorry, but there isn't much we can do for her presently."

"Don't worry, Admiral, I trust her come back to us when she's ready."

Ozpin showed a small smile. "Well then, it seems that she is in good hands. Now then, we have received your report of _The Paragon's _progress."

Jaune perked up. "We've succeeded in our operation. This area of the Stormwall is now completely robot free. We may as well lay a nice big red carpet and shiny neon signs telling _The Starlight_ and her battle group to fly right on through."

"That is why I have contacted you, Captain. That battle group will not be penetrating the wall. _The Starlight_'s small fleet has been reassigned to bolster the forces defending the highlands of Mistral, which is currently the site of a very large, very violent assault by royal forces."

The Captain's expression of joy disappeared. "Admiral, with all due respect, my crew spent weeks blazing a trail for this mission. Some of my people have died, and others…are seriously injured. And now you're telling me that the attack force isn't even going to show up? So all of our effort was wasted?!"

Admiral Ozpin took a swig from his seemingly bottomless mug of coffee before continuing. "Captain, you are both correct and mistaken. You are correct that your crew has devoted respectable and immeasurable effort in completing your task."

"You're damn right…" Jaune muttered.

Ozpin either did not hear him or chose to ignore it. "However, you are mistaken in thinking that it was all for naught. Need I remind you of the current state of the war?"

Jaune sighed. "Yeah, I know." Using a nearby console, Jaune produced a large spherical hologram of planet Remnant. His eyes scanned the sprawling globe. Glowing blue circles represented Rebel fleets, armies, and bases, while glowing orange circles represented the same elements for Queen Weiss. All across the surface of the planet, blue and orange converged in massive battles. "We've reached a point in the war where our collective military strength is almost on par with Weiss's. Two enormous factions, like angry dragons locked in an epic struggle. Kinda reminds me of the Four Kingdom War, now that I think about it."

The holographic man nodded. "Precisely. And we do not want to wear ourselves thin like the unfortunate combatants of that conflict did. Which is why we need to continue the operation and aim our sights at the royal palace while the Queen's force are occupied fighting across the world. We must attack now, while conditions permit it."

The Captain frowned as his eyes moved to peer at the northern part of the globe. "But sir, I don't see any other ships out here close enough to punch through the wall."

"I can see one. It's parked in the repair bay of Frostwind Station's hangar." Ozpin watched for the inevitable reaction.

Jaune wheeled around to face the holographic man. After a few seconds, he exhaled a long breath, his head dropping slightly. "You're talking about _The Paragon_, aren't you?"

"How perceptive, Captain. Your ship happens to be in a favorable position just outside the Stormwall."

"Yes, but there are…other variables here! Admiral, we just finished three weeks of combat."

"You and your crew are free to remain at Frostwind for a day or two first, in order to rest and repair your battlecruiser."

"Well…even so, sir, we are just_ one_ ship!"

Ozpin pushed his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. "One ship can make a surprising difference in this sort of operation, Captain Arc. And if we have any ships to spare in the future, we will send them in after you as reinforcements, though that may be a quite a long while from now. What you must understand is that you must act soon. A campaign toward the palace now will either give you a chance to strike at the Queen directly or draw some of her forces from the war back to her home. In either scenario, the Rebellion will gain an advantage."

The blond man pondered the situation. Although Ozpin's tactics were sound, Jaune was not sure of the kind of impact _The Paragon_ alone could make on the war effort with this one mission. Still, the Admiral was right. This opportunity was staring them in the face, and they would be fools to let it slip away.

The holographic man continued. "Captain Arc, I've seen your people in battle, and they are nothing short of impressive. I would not go so far as to say you are the best ship and crew in the Rebellion. Far from it. But your people do show enough mastery for me to have utmost confidence that _The Paragon_ can handle this operation."

Jaune chuckled. "We would at least try our best. And I'm _definitely_ bringing up your praise to the crew at dinner tonight."

Ozpin smiled before returning to the conversation. "I can hear it in your voice now. I know that I don't have to order you to take this mission."

The blond captain grinned and locked eyes with the hologram. "You're right, Admiral. I already accept. In two days, _The Paragon_ will be on her way straight through that Stormwall. I mean…assuming that most of the crew doesn't jump ship. I'm not going to order them to join us on this voyage into hell."

"Of course. Handle the situation as you see fit. I will send you the specific details from the mission file shortly. You are free to use as much of Frostwind's resources as you need for your preparations. This may very well turn out to be a pivotal operation, so we are counting on you and your crew." The Admiral leaned closer. "Fight well, Jaune Arc."

The Captain was caught off guard by the use of his name. "Y-yes we will, Admiral Ozpin. And good luck to you as well. Please give Beacon my regards."

The hologram nodded before flickering out of existence.

* * *

**Author's note:**

This chapter was originally much longer, but I decided to take out a portion of it and turn it into the next chapter. So that one may be done sooner than usual. Thanks for reading!


	4. The Hammer of Heaven

**Originally posted: 19 April 2014**

**Author's Note:**

This chapter ended up being _much_ longer than I had anticipated. It's almost as long as the first _story_ I posted here. My deepest apologies to those of you who are allergic to large amounts of text.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Hammer of Heaven

There was no denying it. Those conniving Rebels of _The Paragon_ were planning on charging the Stormwall.

Two days had passed since the last encounter with the airship's soldiers. Weiss sat upon her silver throne with Yang standing at her side. Both women were staring at a large holographic monitor in the air in front of them. A live camera feed from one of Blake's aerial stealth surveillance drones was being piped through as it kept a preying eye on Frostwind Station. Activity at the station had seen a significant increase since yesterday morning, and the repair and resupply of _The Paragon _seemed to have doubled in speed. There was no doubt in either woman's mind. The Rebels were gearing up for an attack. And there was only one thing close enough at which those scoundrels could aim their sights.

"Hey hey, don't worry," Yang commented. "It'll be fine! Our new prototype drone is being transported to the wall as we speak!"

Weiss was tapping her fingers on the throne's armrest. "One prototype may be insufficient to hinder their approach."

"That's why we're attacking when their shiny little sky boat is still grounded, silly. It'll only have to deal with foot soldiers!"

"Though that is a wise strategy, Yang, there is still the high possibility that-"

The Queen's thought was cut off by the sudden arrival of a remarkable aroma. The scent of fresh roses permeated the cold morning air, completely foreign for the far north – though not so foreign for Weiss and company. The woman turned in her throne, peering toward one of the entrances. There, the scent's source stepped into the light. Ruby was sauntering into the throne room, clad in only the black outfit that she usually wore under her dark red cloak. The woman seemed to be glowing, with her slightly damp hair and her freshly cleaned skin.

Yang called out. "Hey, sis! What're you doing here?"

Ruby smiled back at her. "I have no operations for today, so I figured I'd come by and see what you ladies are so caught up in."

"Well well well, nice to see you in a better mood. You were kinda down all day yesterday. Especially after Weiss told me that you pretty much went crazy two nights ago."

The Queen shot a piercing glare at her General. "Not _quite_ the phrasing that I used, Yang."

The red-haired woman waved it off. "She's right, I did go a little over the edge that night."

Yang sighed as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Pyrrha?"

Ruby nodded. "I'm no stranger to combat or killing. This is a war, after all. Soldiers are taking a gamble as soon as they step onto the battlefield. They just…tend to lose that gamble when I'm around." The woman's eyes looked to the floor. "But that day was the first time that I…"

She trailed off, hesitating. Soon after, she cursed herself for it and brought her gaze back up to her sister. Weiss wanted – no, _needed_ – her to be strong. And she sure as hell was going to do just that. "It was the first time that I killed someone that I know." She finished her thought, her posture still resolute. "But the same logic still applies. She was a soldier, and she died like one. That's just the order of things. I'm not saying I forgive myself for it, or that it was right, but…moping around about it isn't going to get me anywhere."

Yang grinned and ruffled the younger woman's hair as if they were still children. "Aw, look at my little sister, being all morbidly objective!"

Weiss had already returned her eyes to the screen. "Yes, how oddly mature of you," she remarked in a bored tone. Still, the smallest hint of a smile flashed briefly across her visage.

The sisters took their places at opposite sides of the throne and turned their attention to the display. "So…what am I looking at?" inquired Ruby.

* * *

Captain Arc sat in Frostwind's dining hall with several other crew members, enjoying a quaint meal. Many people insisted that a commanding officer not form too much of a familiar bond with his subordinates. Jaune respectfully disagreed with that practice. The crew was like a family to him, and he valued both their trust and their friendship. Especially for those people that he had befriended years before he had gotten over his airsickness and first stepped foot on a battlecruiser.

It would be another day before _The Paragon_ was fit to cross the wall. The crew's reaction to Ozpin's change in orders had gone surprisingly well. It seemed that they were all itching to do what they could. And Jaune couldn't blame them. For now, though, they needed to prepare and wait.

To his left sat Ren, who was currently engaged in a trivial conversation with the orange-haired woman situated across from him. Lieutenant Nora Valkyrie seemed to be insisting that certain avian creatures – roosters, in particular – were known to occasionally possess teeth. Ren, of course, tried to cite scientific fact that her argument was completely debunked.

Jaune's interest in that particular conversation was beginning to wane. The man looked at Nora and laughed quietly. He had always, with some amusement, admired the courage of her choice of attire. _Pink_. Of all colors, the woman chose _pink_ for the light battle armor that she had fastened over her white officer's uniform. A fairly odd ensemble, especially for a battlefield environment. Then again, the woman was always a headstrong and powerful warrior. Who was he to get in the way of her peculiar war fashion when she did her job valiantly nonetheless?

The Captain was roused from his thoughts by a man tapping him on the shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt sir," began the new arrival. "We may have a problem. May I speak with you?"

Jaune complied, following the man away from the table and off to an area near the western wall of the room. "What've you got for me?"

"Captain Arc, our sensors are detecting an energy signature near the Stormwall, too small to be a warship. Still, the source is unknown and may or may not be hostile."

"Huh. No visual confirmation?"

"No sir. The heavy fog and snow that rolled in earlier today has hindered visual contact."

"Ah, I had a feeling. It's never easy enough, is it?"

The man allowed a small laugh before returning to the issue. "Admiral Ozpin has left you in charge of tactics while you are here, Captain. What is our course of action?"

Jaune consider the options for a few moments before speaking again. "I'll take a few people out to investigate. Been getting bored cooped up in the station anyway. Thanks for the update."

"Of course, sir." The man walked through a nearby door and out of sight.

The Captain returned to his table without sitting down. His eyes picked out his own team. "Looks like we've got a quick operation to take care of, folks. I'm sure you're all _itching_ to venture into the cold again, eh? Come with me, Ren, Nora, Pyr-…" Jaune stopped himself; saying that last name would be foolish. Still, he had always been used to working in four-person teams. He'd feel a lot more comfortable having a fourth combatant to replace his slumbering wife – temporarily, of course. The Captain scanned the table. Eventually his eyes fell upon a woman who would satisfy the situation. "Penny, you come along too."

"Aye aye, Captain!" the android woman said cheerfully. Commander Penny stood up from her seat and smiled her polite smile. She wore a black officer's outfit that was accented with glowing lines of bright green. The metallic pack she had on her back housed the ghostly, dancing blades – the "Puppeteer System" as some had decided to call it – that she used in battle. Although she was incapable of physically growing as a normal Human or Faunus would, Penny had modified her cybernetic body several years ago, giving herself the perpetual voice, form, and appearance of an orange-haired woman in her mid-twenties.

Jaune waved the woman over to join him with Ren and Nora. Together, the four friends hastened to the hangar and took off in a combat Bullhead, with Ren at the helm. The man had become a skilled pilot during his time in the Rebellion and never hesitated to put his talents to use.

The trip to the area near the Stormwall took nearly fifteen minutes and was in no way expedited by the encroaching fog. As the ship landed and the four-person party stepped out onto the ground, Jaune could feel that the wind had picked up noticeably, even stirring up a mild snow storm. The Captain sighed. "Great. Fog, wind, and snow. Anybody else got a bad feeling about this?"

Penny replied, albeit not to his question. "The energy signature is directly ahead." The woman was holding a scanning device out in front of her, her arm held inhumanly still in growing the wind. "And it seems to be…approaching."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Does anyone else feel that?"

Jaune paused, letting his senses take in the environment. Ren was right. There was some sort of disturbance in the air, and it seemed to be growing. Puzzled, the man knelt to the ground and dug a hand into the snow. Vibrations. That's it. He could clearly feel the ground as it shook ever so slightly in a slow, distinct cadence. With each beat, however, the rumble intensified. A few more moments, and he could hear it. He could hear the rumbling now, echoing through the air like a calm, lonely heartbeat. The man returned to his feet. A menace was approaching. "Weapons out, everyone!"

Metallic clicks and whirring gears sounded as the four readied for combat. Jaune drew his sword, the blade singing as he opened his shield from its sheathe form. Nora grabbed Magnhild and shifted the weapon to its hammer mode, swinging the daunting object around once before pointing it at the approaching noise. Ren spun his guns a few times before grounding his feet and mimicking Nora's last preparation. Penny kept her calm, upright posture and friendly smile as twelve gray and green swords seemed to float out of her back and levitate near the woman, the blades' hilts attached to her backpack by twelve thin yet surprisingly indestructible wires.

"Oooooooh this is gonna be fun," Nora chirped.

"If fun involves a mysterious, rumbling force in the unforgiving arctic fog, then sure," Ren retorted.

"Penny, how close is it?" Jaune asked, looking at the device she still held.

"100 meters, sir!" The woman raised her head and peered out into the fog. "We will have visual contact in-" Penny stopped, her smile disappearing as her eyes widened. "Jaune…"

Jaune was suddenly aware that the vibrations had ceased. The air was still again, though he had a feeling that this calm only heralded the arrival of their troubles. He was almost hesitant as he slowly turned, his eyes seeing nothing but gray fog until they fell upon something much more distinct. The four Rebels simultaneously took a step backward, observing the sight before them with trepidation.

A grand figure loomed over the snow, its massive silver form standing out against the fog. The towering centurion had to be at least 20 meters tall by Jaune's estimate, probably more, though he was still too shocked to voice his musings. The thing bore the appearance of a medieval knight, clad in gigantic pieces of interlocking armor. The knight held an impressive silver broadsword that dwarfed any weapon that Jaune had ever seen. What would have been its "face" was completely concealed by its helmet. And it just stood there, watching the four with whatever mechanism it used for eyes as it remained perfectly still, a terrifying statue in the snowy winds.

"Th-that's the source of the signature, isn't it?" Jaune finally broke the silence.

"Correct, Captain! Luckily it would seem that this new type of combat drone came here alone."

"Oh yes, lucky us. And 'drone' gives me the image of a small plane or a life-sized robo man with guns. Not some monstrous…_titan_ that could crush every bone in our bodies without breaking a sweat."

"Robots do not sweat, Jau-"

"_Whatever!_ We can't let this thing make it to Frostwind Station. Penny, lase 'em!"

"Aye aye!" The android woman cast her open hand in front of her, pointing her palm toward the towering knight. Within moments, her twelve blades formed a circle before her and began rotating. A bright orb of green energy thrashed and sparked into existence at the circle's center. The air hissed as the orb amassed more and more power from its orange-haired master. Finally, Penny pulled her hand back, clenching it into a fist before thrusting it forward once more.

A green energy beam erupted from the woman's formation of weapons. The laser sliced a swift path through the frigid air with an electronic roar. The massive drone, with the beam drawing closer every moment, did nothing to even attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, seconds before the laser connected, the knight brought its daunting sword up in front of it. With a bright flash, the spear of energy clashed with the drone's metal blade. The weapon, however, remained undamaged as it deflected the laser, sending the green line straight into a far hill of snow.

"Alright, so energy weapons aren't going to work on this guy," Jaune remarked with a sigh. He watched as the giant began walking again, feeling each step rumbling through the ground. That thing was definitely heading toward Frostwind, and Jaune would be quite pleased if they could end its pilgrimage here. "Ren, Nora," he said, turning to the pair to ensure that he held their attention. When their eyes met his, the Captain pointed toward their enemy. He then angled his sword diagonally toward the ground and ran two fingers up the blade's flat side from tip to hilt. Ren and Nora nodded before darting off toward the steel titan. Jaune redirected his gaze toward Penny. "I just told them to-"

The android held her hand up. "An explanation will not be necessary, Captain. I have observed your squad in battle many times and am perfectly able to comprehend the thought processes behind your signals." The woman had a sly smile as she returned Jaune's look.

Nora was near the knight now, a cheerful grin on her face as she practically bounced to her position in front of the giant. With an overdramatic flair, the woman swung her hammer over her head and brought it down next to her, the impact flourishing a pink explosion from her hammerhead. "Hey, big boy!" she yelled, calling out to the behemoth in front of her. "That's an awfully big sword. Betcha can't hit anything with that stupid thing!"

It was never certain whether or not the robot could even be swayed by taunting. Nevertheless, the steel giant raised its blade – with surprising speed, for such a massive thing – and held it above its head, lining up its impending strike. After a few seconds of silence, the blade finally embarked on its deadly journey straight toward the pink and white soldier below. The woman simply stood there, smiling, oddly mimicking the robot's reaction to Penny's laser. Seconds before impact, Nora fired her weapon into the ground, using the explosion to propel herself safely to the side of the strike. The massive sword plowed into the snow-covered ground, shaking the earth and sending a white cloud of powder into the air.

Ren held no hesitation in his sprint as he dashed forward through the cloud. The swift man shot up the massive sword just before the titan began to raise it from the snow. After reaching the robot's upper body, Ren began his attack. In a graceful dance of flips, jumps, and slashes, the man unleashed a flurry of strikes with the blades of his StormFlower weapons and peppered the giant's armor with Dust-infused bullets whenever he saw the chance. He would spring off of any foothold he could find across the entire upper torso of the robot, occasionally hooking his blades onto an edge of any piece of armor to steady his position. The titan's armor would spark and glow from each impact, but no noticeable damage could be seen.

On the ground below, Nora's progress was proving to be just as dismal. The droid had kept its attention and its attacks on her, though its massive sword had yet to fall even close to the agile woman. She had shifted her weapon back to its launcher form and begun lobbing grenades at the enemy, pink explosions bursting all around the legs of the giant knight. Her efforts were for naught, as the blasts seemed to be doing little in the ways of scratching the machine's armor, let alone hinder its march toward Frostwind.

Ren, still aloft near the giant's head, decided to try an alternative strategy. With nimbleness of acrobatic caliber, the man flipped up onto the robot's shoulders and made his way down its back. He hooked one blade onto one of the plates of armor for stability and scanned the area. His previous action had just given him an idea. Perhaps he could pry loose a piece of armor with the potential of exposing a weak point. Testing his theory, Ren hooked his other blade onto an armor plate nearby and tried to wrench it off. His curious endeavor, however, would be short-lived. Sensing a shift in the robot's movement, Ren looked up. The giant's sword arm was twisting in an inhuman way, turning to bring the blade around to his back. The green-clad man ejected from his perch just in time to dodge the mighty weapon. As he fell, he watched the sword scrape along the spot where he had sat moments before. To his surprise, some of the armor seemed twisted and contorted after the sword pulled away.

Nora pounced toward Ren as the man landed. "Ren, are you alright?!"

"More or less. Thanks, Nora," he said as he dusted himself off. The robot seemed to have shifted its interest, halting its attack and continuing on its path toward Frostwind. "Where's the Captain?"

Jaune was running up to him moments later, with Penny in tow. "Ren! Nice dodge, but we have to keep moving!"

"Hold on, Jaune." Ren pointed at the giant machine's back. "What do you see?"

The Captain turned, and his eyebrows rose slightly with approval. "Whoa, you actually did some damage? Nicely done. What's your secret?"

Ren shook his head. "Not me. The robot's _sword_ did that."

Jaune instantly realized what Ren was implying. "Ah, alright alright, I see. Big guns for the big kill." He had his hand on his chin and pondered for several seconds. "I noticed something else, too."

"Yes?"

"Ren, when you were trying to slice that monster up, it barely batted an eye. But as soon as you gunned for its back, the bastard wasted no time in trying to swat you off."

The green-clad man nodded. "Not something I'd forgotten, yes."

"So you see? It didn't care until you went for the back. Which means-"

"That the back is important!" Nora shouted with a grin. She quite enjoyed guessing Jaune's tactics before he explained them.

"Precisely," agreed Penny.

Mulling over their discoveries, Jaune knelt down to the snow. They found a weak spot. They found a weapon. Now they just needed to make one tear through the other. He kept quiet for a few minutes, running the powdery snow through his fingers. The Captain looked up to their target, which was now walking away from them. As mobile as the monster was, speed was not its strong suit. The lumbering thing was still well within view on its trek toward Frostwind, even through the fog. Overtaking it, even getting a sizeable distance ahead of it, would be simple. Finally, he spoke. "There are a few hills of snow between here and Frostwind, correct?"

Penny was the first to answer. "Many, actually. Though it would be logical to assume that our foe was designed traverse such terrain."

The Captain smiled before he turned to Nora. "Did you bring every class of grenade you have with you?"

"Of course!" the cheerful woman chattered. "What's a party without a little _variety_ in your explosive favors?" She winked playfully.

Jaune stood up. "Everyone back to the Bullhead."

"You have a plan?" inquired Ren.

The man laughed. "In keeping with Nora's metaphor, we're going to have to set up a little surprise party for our new friend."

* * *

Ten minutes had passed since the group had first attacked the steel giant. Jaune and Ren were standing on a tall, snowy hill that stood directly in the approaching enemy's path.

"It should work, Ren. Probably."

"Let's just hope the droid is as foolish as it looks."

"What?" Jaune peered at the silver titan on its slow, rumbling march. "Personally, I think it looks pretty cool. I mean, I was pretty terrified when it appeared. That has to count for something. And the whole 'knight' thing matches well with the Royal army."

"Your opinion aside, Captain, Weiss could have gone with a more efficient design."

"She was probably trying to walk the line between 'function' and 'intimidation' for this one. And why do I get the feeling that you want to give droid design tips to our enemy…?"

Ren seemed to ignore the question. "Alright, looks like our target will be close enough soon. Shall we go?"

"After you, friend." Jaune watched his pilot slide down the powdered hill on the side opposite from the approaching knight before doing the same.

The two men reconvened at the foot of the hill and watched the summit, waiting for the arrival of their prey. Within 30 seconds, the monster's head came into view, followed closely by the rest of its body as it lumbered to the top of the hill. Jaune charged his blade with Aura as Ren readied his guns. In unison, the men attacked. Jaune unleashed his crescent Aura bolt that he had used on Yang while Ren's weapons blazed into action. The men's strikes crashed weakly against the droid's chest, but they were enough to draw its attention. The giant began descending the hillside, making its way toward Jaune and Ren.

"Nora, go!" shouted the Captain.

The hammer-wielder cackled as she squeezed the trigger on the detonator she held. The white hillside where the droid stood exploded, with wisps of pink fire shooting into the air. The titan itself was undamaged, but the same could not be said for the hill. The explosions had loosened layers upon layers of snow. Whatever hadn't been kicked into the air was now careening down the hillside in a maddening avalanche. The knight swayed, attempting to reposition its legs to regain its balance against the torrent of snow. Suddenly, several of Penny's blades shot out toward the giant's legs. The weapons encircled their targets, wrapping wiry tendrils around the titanic limbs and severely hindering their movement. Unable to fully stabilize itself and tripping up on Penny's wires, the droid toppled forward into the snow as it was pulled down by the avalanche.

"Yes!" shouted Jaune, pumping a fist into the air.

Ren showed a small smile. "My turn." The man dashed forward to the fallen beast. The massive robot was half buried under a thick layer of snow. Only its upper torso was visible, as the rest was below what used to be the hill. Ren leapt up and landed on the droid's armor-plated back. He watched as the robot's head rotated 180 degrees to look at the man standing there. Ren addressed it with a calm, friendly voice. "Good morning. Or…is it afternoon? It's hard to tell way up here sometimes." The man slammed a blade into one of the armor plates and began to pry it off.

The fallen droid brought its sword into the air and attempted to strike it down upon Ren. Of course, the nimble man jumped away, allowing the sword to impact directly on the droid's back. However, the attack was not enough to fully slice through its armor, and the sword was beginning to rise into the air again. Penny, sliding down from her previous perch, cast half of her swords out, using their wires in an attempt to tie the blade to the monster's back while the other half of her weapons subdued the droid's other arm. "Nora!" the woman shouted. The giant's struggle to free its weapon was already putting a strain on her. "Your assistance would be incredibly useful here!"

Seemingly falling from the sky, Nora laughed heartily as she landed atop the droid's back and hopped onto the giant blade that was poised over the titan's weak spot. The soldier's launcher transformed into its gleaming hammer form as she swung it above her head. With a mighty yell, she slammed the hammer head down onto the giant's blade while pulling her weapon's trigger. The pink explosion reinforced her blow with even greater force. The woman continued to swing her wild hammer onto the droid's sword, repeating the deafening strike over and over and over, like a cosmic scribe chiseling her name into the face of the planet. With every strike, the giant blade dug deeper and deeper into the massive droid's back.

To everyone's surprise, the robot began to let loose a low, almost pitiful roar as Nora continued her relentless assault. Sparks and shards of metal were now fluttering into the air as the blade continued its slow descent into the heart of the beast with every blow. The robot's body began to spasm as its systems started to malfunction or fail altogether. Nora held nothing back and showed no sign of slowing down. Her hammer kept falling and falling upon the blade, now embedded deep in the monster's back. Finally, with one last jerky motion, the massive droid went silent, the last signs of movement dying off. Penny relaxed, as the knight no longer tugged on the wires she'd used to restrain it. Nora, breathing heavily, fell back onto the defeated beast and cheered. "Woohoo, Attack on Cyborg, successful!"

Ren shook his head as he smiled. "Technically, this isn't a cyborg, it's more of a-"

"Oh quiet, Renny, I was having a moment!"

Jaune exhaled a heavy breath of relief. Another day, another unexpected foe to smash into scrap metal. He walked up to the fallen machine as Ren helped Nora down from its back. A few moments later, Penny trotted up to him with a somber look on her face.

The Captain looked at her with concern. "Penny? It's not like you to be…melancholy…"

The android woman sighed. "Did you hear it, Jaune?"

"Hear what? Now?"

"No, no. Back when Nora gained the upper hand. The droid…"

Jaune nodded as he remembered. "It roared, didn't it?"

"Roared? That's not how it sounded to me. It sounded like the droid was…crying."

The Captain turned to look at the woman before him. "Crying, Penny? First of all, we _had_ to kill it. Who knows what it would have done if we let it go?"

"I know, I understand that."

"Secondly…Penny, it's a just a war machine. It's designed to kill, not cry."

It was then that Jaune saw something he rarely saw in Penny's eyes. The woman was usually extravagant and cheerful, or at the very least indifferent. But right now, her expression carried a mixture of despair and anger. "_Just_ a machine designed to kill? I wonder, Jaune, is that the same way you view me?"

Jaune's voice caught in his throat. He was a tactician, capable of considering countless options and outcomes on a battlefield. Yet, hear, now, he couldn't even discern the feelings of his own friend. Though her body was cybernetic, her brain positronic, Penny had just as much heart as any Human that Jaune had met. And it seems that he'd succeeded in hurting it.

The captain reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "…look, Penny, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

But his apology was cut short as an electronic beeping began to issue from the grounded titan before them.

* * *

"Dammit!" shouted the blond General as she slammed her golden fist through the head of the butler droid that had brought her a drink only moments before.

"Yang, those robots are expensive," warned Ruby as she wagged her finger at her sister.

"I told you that the prototype probably wouldn't work," said Weiss with a calm voice. The three women had been watching the battle through the surveillance drone that was flying undetected high above the Rebel station. Needless to say, the results of the fight did not sit well with any of them. Well, most of them. Weiss noticed that Ruby seemed to be unusually excited. "Ruby, what's going on?"

"Huh? Nothing's going on."

"…you enjoyed that battle, didn't you?"

The red woman stared at her Queen for a few seconds before giving in. "Oh come on Weiss, you have to admit that was pretty cool! Those people kicked ass! Leave it to JNPR to take out a Colossus-class drone by themselves!"

Yang walked up to her sister and placed a hand gingerly on her head. "My dear sweet sister…am I to understand that you are cheering for the enemy…?"

"What?! No, I was just…"

"Quiet, both of you," Weiss commanded with a stern tone. The Queen tapped a few buttons on the armrest console of her throne. A large holographic screen appeared in front of them. "I left a holotransmitter in the prototype Colossus. It's only appropriate that we send them our…congratulations."

* * *

Jaune and Penny stared at the fallen beast as the beeping ensued. "Is it a bomb?" asked Jaune.

Penny was already scanning the droid. "No explosive devices detected."

Before either could speculate more, the pair heard the distinct whistle of a holotransmitter activating. Jaune watched the air as various shapes of light took formation. Within seconds, those shapes had coagulated into the form of a human. The Captain's eyes widened slightly with surprise. In the air before them floated the holographic image of none other than the infamous Queen Weiss Schnee herself. Her calm glare seemed to stare right into Jaune's heart.

"Captain Jaune Arc. Ms. Penny. I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to see you, but I don't intend on lying during this conversation."

Jaune chuckled at her light insult. "I see you haven't lost your warm heart of gold, Weiss. What's up? Hot and bothered because we trashed your giant clanker?"

Weiss closed her eyes briefly, as if coping with an inconvenient amount of frustration. She spoke again after she opened them. "Your destruction of our prototype Colossus was…impressive, I suppose. But if you cross that Stormwall, you will find much larger, much stronger terrors awaiting your pitiful ship. And I simply can't guarantee your survival."

"How nice of you to give us such a considerate warning. But we'll manage. We're coming for you. You're not stopping our flight, Weiss."

The Queen gave a small laugh. "Very well. We accept your foolhardy challenge. Come along, cross the wall. You'll find no resistance from us until you've flown through. We _eagerly_ await your arrival, Captain."

Jaune grinned. "With such a receptive host, how can I refuse? Keep the gates open for me."

"And we will see what happens when mongrels dare to tread in the realm of a queen. Proceed." Weiss stared at him for a few more seconds before the transmission faded into nothing. Satisfied, Jaune turned back to Penny, only to be interrupted yet again as the transmitter activated a second time. He watched the light begin to take shape, expecting that the Queen had returned to make some other ominous, supervillain-like statement.

The result, however, was far different. Levitating before him was the form of the woman who had rendered Pyrrha in her comatose state. Jaune was clenching his fist, preparing for the ensuing rage that would churn up from his heart. But the fury never came. He looked at the holographic woman's face. Where was the psychotic grin, or those eyes whose gaze made people's bones shiver? No, much to his bewilderment, this woman looked nothing like that. Her expression was sober, humble, with an almost respectful and friendly tinge to it. The woman before him was not the Red Terror. She was Ruby Rose, the one he thought had been lost years ago. And, with a quiet voice, she spoke only two words before the hologram faded for good. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Ruby drew a deep breath as she deactivated the transmitter from the throne's console. She already knew what was coming. Slowly, she turned around to face the icy glare from her Queen's blue eyes.

"Ruby, explain yourself."

"It's the least I could do, Weiss. It doesn't make up for killing her, but it's the least I could do."

Weiss sighed. "That's not the point. Do you remember what I told you when you wanted to join me?"

"Yes, yes, I reme-"

"I told you that you…can't be yourself in front of the enemy." Weiss was never comfortable saying that; truthfully, she much preferred Ruby to the Red Terror. "If you wanted to fight alongside me, I told you that you _needed_ to appear cold, ruthless, and terrifying. At least to those scoundrels."

"That's not always easy, Weiss. And look what it got me!" Ruby tapped a finger to her skull and made swirling motion.

"Whether or not it's easy is irrelevant. That was our agreement. And now we see you openly showing _sympathy _to Jaune Arc."

"It was just two words. That's all I said. I just wanted to apologize!"

Weiss shook her head. "It wasn't just two words Ruby. It was you. Your face. Your voice. Your everything. You've built up this image of yourself as a horrific, murderous individual in Jaune's head. But now that picture of you…sympathizing…is going to hide away in the back of his mind and subtly alter your reputation to him. And who knows if the same thing may happen in Penny's mind as well?"

"Now you're being paranoid. Even _if_ that were correct, Weiss, they're just _two _people. Seriously, what kind of trouble could it cause?"

"It can all start with two, Ruby. These people…these maddening people of Remnant. Do you know what language they speak?"

"What? The Common Tongue, of course."

"No, Ruby. They speak fear. They speak violence. They speak war. That's all they know or understand, and that's the only way to get anything into their foolish brains. What were they doing _before_ we rose up? Do you remember?"

Ruby swallowed, slightly wary of Weiss's aggressive lecture. "The Four Kingdom War," she replied meekly.

The Queen stepped even closer to the woman as she spoke. "Precisely. A bloody conflict that spanned the entire planet. Four massive nations with their battle-hungry armies practically slaughtering each other. Over what? Some pathetic dispute or petty disagreement. No one is even certain. But yet they fought, perfectly content to hang each other on their reddened blades. And what did it take to stop them? More war. A bigger threat. Their precious Dust pulled from under their feet, and steel hordes knocking on their gates. Only because of that fear did they ever alter their course. That is why, Ruby, they need to fear us. It keeps them listening. It keeps them in line. It keeps the peace."

"…it's barbaric, Weiss. Everything is."

"Such is the nature of this world, my friend."

The heated conversation between the pair, whose faces were practically touching, was halted by the blond General's golden hands prying them apart. "Ladies, I'm not one to interrupt a friendly debate, but we seriously need to discuss what we're doing next."

Weiss pushed Yang's arm away and dusted her clothes where the woman's hand had been. "I have already decided what will happen. Do not call back any of our forces outside the Stormwall. They're barely holding the line as it is. Yang, I'll need a list of every military asset we have within the wall. Assemble them as you see fit and report back to me immediately."

Yang winked. "Gotcha. Um…would you mind giving me a lift to the docking bay, princess?"

The Queen sighed before conjuring a glyph under the General's feet and teleporting her to her destination. After her sister's departure, Ruby's eyes scanned the surrounding room curiously. She then looked back at Weiss. "Hey…any idea where Blake is?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I had to take some liberty with Penny since not much has been revealed about her. I just went with the popular "she's a robot" theory, even though it may be disproven this summer with Volume 2 (for which I am very excited).


End file.
